didn't want to believe he had actually lamped the guy. Or like me, strongly suspected he had, but held counsel pending the outcome of the investigation. (worth noting there had been no suggestion of police involvement or anything like that- which may well change now).
Turns out that, while he has not been found guilty of an assault by a court of law, or charged with an offence, his internel work investigation have concluded it happened, and it was clearly serious enough, and with enough evidence on which to send him packing. it's really heartening that they took a stand against him. So often shite like this gets swept under the carpet.

of course, now we will have to bear witness to an almighty bidding war between sky/ Netflix/ whoever else, to sign him.

Anyone saying the BBC handled this badly... bollocks. When that happens you suspend someone, investigate it and act on the findings. I saw so many people say "they handled it badly because this shouldn't have been drawn out in public"... well, it wasn't. They did the standard stuff any employer would do - as above. The "public" bit was the disproportionate amount of attention this got everywhere, in the interim. And the BBC were obliged to report on that. I mean, I understand why it became public interest, which isn't the same as me agreeing that it should have done.

Anyway, boo hoo and all that, because while it's the right decision I imagine the networks are getting out their chequebooks as we speak, and he'll now spend the rest of his working life slagging off the BBC in his Sunday Times columns too. Great news for him, utter tedium for people who give a shit about decency and get fed up of being told it's a lefty conspiracy/political correctness gone mad and all that bollocks. HE VERBALLY AND PHYSICALLY ABUSED A COLLEAGUE.